Producing sufficient light to excite a laser source used in welding and drilling applications has long been a problem. Initial attempts included those where large energy storage devices such as capacitors and inductors were charged for periods of time long in comparison to typical AC line frequencies then, when fully charged, were switched across the flash lamp. These energy storage devices tended to be both bulky and expensive and moreover the maximum rate at which the laser could be fired was low in that the time required to bring them to their peak storage capabilities from a rectified power line source is long compared with desirable welding pulse rates. Later attempts included coupling the flash lamp to an AC line source through controlled rectifiers. These later attempts required large, expensive, controlled rectifiers to implement any scheme in which enough power was transferred from the power line to the flash lamp. The prior art has not shown methods of coupling a flash lamp to an AC power source through simple uncontrolled rectifier means.